Education

the trail boss by Charles M. Russell, is the logo of the Society for Range Management (SRM). This famous painting depicts the cowboy watching over cattle as they are driven up a valley. It is easy to look at the cowboy and imagine his job is to oversee the cattle drive. Another interesting viewpoint could …

Range 101: Plant Identification Read More »

in 2022 It is not hard to find a ranch mentor who is feeding the soil to create more productive rangeland. Glenn Elzinga, Bob Kinford, and Gabe Brown are just a few of the growing group of `healthy rangeland` advocates. All three mentors practice Holistic Resource Management. Glenn Elzinga featured speaker at the Grassland Coalition …

Finding the Right Balance: Holistic Resource Management Read More »

Ranching in the northern Great Plains is a tough place to work, especially in the winter. Traditional winter feed costs can make up 60% or more of the annual cow expense due to the costs of making and feeding hay. A typical ranch operation might feed for 90-120 days or more depending on the severity …

Range 101: Winter Grazing Planning Read More »

Late summer rains in much of the state have boosted cool-season grasses extending fall grazing, but many producers harvested a minimal amount of hay to get them through the winter. With high hay prices, producers are looking at less expensive ways to supplement existing hay supplies. Even in western SD, corn and soybean residues are …

When You Don’t Want to Buy Hay Read More »

Fall is a great time to monitor your pasture resources and get a picture of how the grazing season went. It might be discouraging to do this in a drought year, but it is actually a very important management step toward preparing for next year. I am going to present three methods. The first method, …

Range 101: Fall Monitoring Read More »

Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) A native tree to the eastern half of the US. It has been slowly spreading into the Great Plains over the last 100 years. Historically, fire and grazing have kept this tree from overtaking our grasslands. If you think back to what life was like on the Great Plains …

Eastern Red Cedar Tree Control Using Goats Read More »

We’re in our third year of custom grazing sheep at Rock Hills Ranch. Our pastures have a diverse mix of grass, forbs, and shrubs, some of which cattle won’t consume. Western snowberry has been problematic ever since Lyle and I arrived here 45 years ago. Leafy spurge moved in more recently as has Canada thistle …

Weed Control, One Bite at a Time Read More »

Increasing stocking rates is the goal of every land manager wanting to keep the wolf away from the doorstep. That is just about all of us. However, we are limited on the number of livestock our land will sustain year after year. There is a ‘silver bullet’ in ranching and that is healthier soil. Managing …

Increasing Stocking Rates: Here is how it Works Read More »

With the expanding drought conditions across Western South Dakota, there are increased concerns about livestock water quality. One water quality concern stems from the algae blooms on stock dams. The predominant question is whether the algae presents health concerns for livestock. Depending on the type of algae, it can be a concern. With warmer temperatures, …

Blue-Green Algae and Livestock Read More »

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